The Prophecy Machine

35

“He put something big against the door. Something extremely large, I can't budge the thing an inch.”

Finn struck his fist against the door until it hurt. “He didn't do it alone, either. He had to have help.”

“Squeen William, you think?”

“Who else? That fellow's incredible. Sabatino nearly crippled the lout, and he's up and going again. Calabus loathes him, yet he's clearly working for him. Apparently, whoever screamed at him last …”

“This is not good, Finn. This is not good at all.”

Letitia stood well across the room, arms crossed, drumming her fingers against her elbow at a fairly rapid pace. Not a promising sign, Finn knew. It was like faraway thunder before a great storm.

“No, it's truly not good, but it's not the end of the world. Calabus has left himself in a very tricky spot. If he tries to keep us here, we'll smash that window and lower ourselves to the ground. I'd start knotting sheets if I were you. On the other hand, if he opens that door, I'll run the fellow through. If it comes to that, I'll take Squeen William as well.”

“Finn-”

“What?”

“Come over here, and look down, please.”

“Why? There's nothing to see.”

Nevertheless, he joined her and peered through the flyencrusted glass.

“I believe that's Squeen William,” he said. “He's sitting in the grass out there. By damn, he's got a weapon, too.”

“I believe he does, dear.” “I think I know what it is. It's a Ponce-Klieterhaus musket. Used by the Hansi Grenadiers. Shoots a fairly decent ball. Why, that relic's fifty years old.”

“You think he could hit anything?”

“I shouldn't think so. Hard to tell, though.”

“Uh-huh.” Letitia's tapping rapidly increased. “I don't intend to knot a sheet, Finn. I'm willing to listen to another suggestion, but I will not dangle my lovely self out a window to see if a Vampie can shoot me down.”

“He wouldn't act like this if he hadn't been terribly abused.”

“I feel sorry for him, too.”

“Yes, well … Julia, up here on the table, if you will. You've still got a jerky foot from that run-in with Squeen and his broom. We may have to move quickly quite soon.”

Letitia sighed. “Do we have time for this? Don't you have other things to do?”

“Whatever we do, I think we should all be in good shape to do it. Stop moving around, Julia, we're not back in the shop. If I break something here, you're scrap.”

“Anyone ever tell you you have a horrid bedside manner, Finn?”

“Anyone ever tell you I'm not a physician, and you're not a patient? What you are, if you don't lie still, is a useless collection of cogs and gears. Gold, copper and tin that would make a nice watch with enough left over for the bin.”

“No wonder you're not a doctor. Who in their right mind would reeerk!”

Julia gave a tremble and a jerk, opened her snout and went stiff as a lizard can be.

“There now, that's better. Let's see what we can see.” Finn slipped a fingernail beneath a certain scale, gave it a tap that only Finn knew. A panel swung open in Julia's tin belly, a panel that revealed a great wonder, a sight to confound the keenest eye. Here was a world that moved in a whisper, in a click, in a blur. Muscles of nickel, sinews of brass, nine tiny hearts made of mercury and gold. Nerves fine as gnat's hair spun from cinnabar and pearl.

Finn fairly shuddered at the thought of that crazed old man poking grubby fingers in Julia's tiny parts. Why, a mote of dust alone from this sty was enough to spoil the crudest device-what havoc it could wreak on Julia Jessica Slagg!

A touch here, a nudge there, with a needle fine as any ever made, a tool Finn always pinned to the collar of his coat. One more twist and he was done.

Julia's belly closed with a snap. Finn turned her over, and watched her ruby eyes glow, watched her snout clamp shut.

“How's the leg now? Give it a shake and let's see.”

Julia dutifully shook. The leg seemed perfectly fine.

“I think I had a dream,” Julia said.

“That's what you always say. I strongly doubt that.”

“Doubt if you will. Why would I remember something if it wasn't truly there?”

“Maybe you did. I don't want to hear it, whatever it is.”

“Are you two done over there? Could you possibly spare the time for something else, like getting us out of here?”

Finn knew that when Letitia's voice reached a certain pitch, one should consider an intelligent reply.

“Is Squeen still spooking about below? Can you see him from there?”

“Where would he go, Finn?”

“I'm working on a plan. I truly need to know.”

“What kind of plan?”

“It's not in the talking stage now. As soon as it is I'll let you know.”

Julia made a lizardy sound in her throat. “She's not buying that, Finn.”

“Don't talk, please. I'm trying to think.”

“You could ask me, you know.”

“What?”

“I said-”

“I heard that, Julia. Ask you what?”

“How to get us out of here.”

“If I do, will you shut up for a while?”

Julia didn't answer. The light went out in her eyes.

“All right. I'm sorry. If you really have something to say, don't keep it to yourself.”

“You haven't asked.”

“I'm asking now.”

“I'm not overly certain, but I think we can get out the same way I got out before.”

Finn was listening now. “Don't play games with me, there's no time for that.”

“You're talking about when Calabus was up here, right?”

Letitia was across the room before Julia could get the words out. “When you went looking for Finn?”

“Certainly. If there was another time I left, I don't recall. I didn't slip out the door, as you perhaps imagined, I was gone before the old man came in. I got out over there.”

Finn and Letitia turned in the direction of Julia's nod. Neither saw anything but a wall. Both looked back at the lizard. Finn was certain Julia smiled, though he knew for a fact she didn't have the parts for that.

“Patience,” Julia said, “and all will be revealed.”

Sliding off the table, she scampered across the floor. At the wall she stopped, hesitated, moved her snout an inch to the right, then another to the left.

Finn glanced away for an instant, looked back again. When he did, Julia was gone.

“Finn …!”

Letitia squeezed his hand. Finn went quickly to his knees. He rubbed his fingers across the ancient wood where it met the grimy floor. Nothing. No cracks or seams. Nothing to suggest a secret panel or a hidden entryway. Yet, short of sheer magic, Julia couldn't simply disappear. There was something here, something that plain confused the eye. Something he-

“Well then, what do you think? Is that not a fine deceit or what?”

Julia's appearance brought a gasp from Letitia, and a muttered oath from Finn. The lizard's red eyes blinked from a narrow hole. A veil of cobwebs hid her snout, and her scales were coated with dust.

“It was no illusion,” Julia said, “it's architectural folly's what it is, a madman's dream, a builder gone berserk. Rooms don't begin where another room ends. They stop short, leaving dark canyons in between. Roofs come through the ceiling and up through the floor. Some doors open on walls. Some doors open on doors. Corridors begin and go nowhere at all.”

Julia tended to irritate Finn with her frequent rattling on. This time he truly didn't mind. This time her chatter gave him hope, a new chance to leave this wretched place behind.

“And all these chambers, passages and such, they lead outdoors, they take you out of here, and it's safe all the way?”

“Safe enough,” Julia said, “if you don't meet a Vampie with a broom somewhere.”

“Don't worry,” Letitia said, “he's only got a musket now.”

“That's not our problem anymore,” Finn said. “If you please, grab a handful of those smelly candles, dear.”

He turned back to Julia. “That hole looks fine for lizards. I guess I'll have to widen it a bit.”

“No problem but have a care when you do. One wrong move and you'll bring the house down. Oh, neither of you care for creatures of the insect persuasion, I recall? Lice, beetles, spiders and flies? Mites, millipedes, bugs of every sort?”

Finn looked at Letitia, Letitia looked at Finn.

“Anything bites, don't scratch,” Julia said. “That's what you get for not wearing tin …”